Fluid pressure lifting means



Oct. 31 1944. EYLEs 2,361,832

FLUID PRESSURE LIFTING MEANS I Filed July 28, 1942 2 Sheefis-Sheet 1INVENTOE a ,ATTUQAIEYSI Oct. 31, 1944. Y s 2,361,832

FLUID PRESSURE LIFTING MEANS Filed July 28, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wan-eaDmQQ F Patented Oct. 31,. 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? ApplicationJuly 28, 1942; Serial No. 452,668 In Great Britain October 31, 1941 4claims. (01. 254493) This invention has reference to lifting meansparticularly suitable for raising off the ground aeroplanes with damagedundercarriages to enable them to be loaded on to vehicles for removal,it may be from runways of aerodromes or from fields where they may havecrashed or landed.

An object of the invention is to provide lifting means comprising aninflatable bag which will provide a relatively large areaof contact withthe body to be lifted. V

A further object is to provide lifting means comprising an inflatablebag which will have practically no tendency to roll on the ground wheninflatedor for the areas of contactwith the ground and the body to belifted to become less during inflation.

Lifting means according to the invention are constituted by aninflatable bag constructed with the walls that form its top and bottomand its sides and ends square or rectangular so that when fully inflatedits bottom and top are substantially flat and that it will be stable andafford a large area of contact with the body being lifted.

The invention also includes the division of the inflatable bag bytransverse, diaphragms or partitions into two or more compartments orchambers which are adapted to be inflated simultaneously or successivelyand which will tend to prevent complete collapse and spreading of thebag in the event of a burst or rent of its fabric and resulting injuryto persons or damage to machines.

The bag or each of its compartments r chambers may be built up ofproofed fabric, such as laminated fabric and rubber latex, a long sheetof which is folded to form the flat top, two sides and the bottom andits ends joined; the ends of the bag, compartment or chamber are formedof square or rectangular sheets of fabric joined at the margins to themargins of the sides, top and bottom.

The joined ends of the sheet of fabric constituting the top, bottom andsides of a compartment or chamber should be in the top or bottom formingthe internal diaphragm or partition.

In one construction, the compartments or chambers are separately formed,mounted one upon the other so that the top of one compartment or chamberlies beneath the bottom of the next and connected together by adhesiveand/or sewing and by surrounding bands overlapping the joints and stuckand/or sewn to the margins of their walls, the top and bottom ofadjacent compartments or chambers constituting the dividing diaphragm orpartition. In some cases,

A one compartment or chamber may be formed with inturned margins insteadof a complete top or bottom.

The top wall of the bag may have securely attached. to it flaps havingeyeletted rope holes at their free edges for wrapping over say the wingof an aeroplane so as to position the bag in rela-. tion to the centreof gravity of the machine.

. Eyeletted ears may be attached to the inflatable bag atconvenientpositions, usually at the angles between its side and ,endwalls and the top and end walls to facilitate haulage and attachment tothe body to be lifted.

The compartments or chambers are provided with separate inflation valveswhich may be connected .to acommon coupling or nipple for attachment tothe delivery pipe of a pump or com pressor and with separate relativelylarge defla tion sleeves or tubes which,when closed, may be covered byflaps held together by straps and buckles or other convenient means.

It will be understoodthat each diaphragm or partition serves as .a stayto reduce distortion or bulging of the side and end walls of the bagand. where there. islittle risk of the fabric bursting or rending, thediaphragms or partitions may be replaced by stays which do notcompletely divide the bag into separate compartments or chambers.

Advantages of the square or rectangular inflatable bags are that thearea of the flat top of the bag in contact with the body to be liftedbeing relatively large, the air pressure required to lift the body iscorrespondingly small and there is practically no tendency for contactwith the ground and with the body to be lifted to become less and lessas maximum inflation is approached or for the bag to roll as would bethe case with a cylindrical bag; moreover, the volume of air required tobe pumped to attain a given lift is less and, on deflation, the top ofthe bag settles on to the bottom without spreading to any considerableextent and the bag is thus more easily handled.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic transverse section of lifting meansaccording tothe invention, comprising an inflatable bag with an upper and a lowercompartment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lifting means to a larger scale,part of the outer wall being broken away to show the diaphragm orpartition between the compartments;

Fig. 3 shows an external view from the oppothe upper compartment 6 isfolded to form the,

flat top 1, the two fiat sides I and the fiat bottom 1'; the ends of thesheet are joined'together by adhesive and/or sewing and heat I in thebottom member of the compartment 6. The sheet forming the lowercompartment 8 is folded to form the flat top 8, thetwo'flat sides 8* andthe flat bottom 8 the ends of'the sheet joined together by adhesiveand/or sewing lie at B Fig; 1 in the top member of the compartment A 6.The end walls of eachof the compartments 6 and 6 are formed ofrectangular sheets of fabric I and 8, see Figs. 2 and'3 whose edgesare'bent to overlap the corresponding edges of the top, sides and bottomof the respective oompartments and secured by adhesive and/or sewing;such overlapping edges areseen at 9, Fig. 2.

His 2. band surrounding the joint between the top and bottomcompartments whichis stuck and/or sewn to the side and end walls of bothcompartments.

H, H are flapsgsecured tothe top I of theupper compartment and-formedwith eyeletted-rope holes-for wrapping overand securing, to the bcdytobe lifted, and l2, [2 are .eyeletted ears attached'totheinflatable bagfor haulage and attachment purposes;

l3, l3 are "non-return'inflation valves for the two compartments and I4is a pipe connection between them which is formed with a coupling ornipple for attachment to an air pump or compressor; l6, Hiaredeflatingtubesor sleeves which when not in use have their endstied orotherwise closed and are folded down and covered by flaps ll held bystraps and buckles I8.

What I claim is:

1.- Lifting means comprising an inflatable bag with substantially flattop and bottom walls and comprising compartments,- each compartmentbeing built up of a long sheet of proofed fabric folded to form its top,two sides and bottom and having its ends connected, end walls formed ofrectangular sheets of proofed fabric joined to the side, top and bottomportions of the folded sheet, the compartments so formed beingsuperposed and joined together; and the top of one compartment beingjoined by adhesive to the top of the adjacent superposed compartment andthe adjacent marginal portions of their walls being overlapped bysurrounding bands joined thereto by adhesive.

2. Lifting means comprising an inflatable bag with substantially flattop and bottom walls and comprising compartments, each compartment beingbuilt up of a long sheet of proofed fabric folded to form its top, twosides and bottom and having its ends connected, end walls formed ofrectangular sheets of proofed fabric joined to the side, top and bottomportions of the folded sheet, the compartments so formed beingsuperposed and joined together; and the connected ends of the foldedsheet of the upper compartment lying in the bottom thereof and theconnected ends of the folded sheet of the bottom compartment lying inthe top of the lower compartment.

3. Lifting means comprising an inflatable bag with substantially flattop and bottom walls and comprising compartments, each compartment beingbuilt up of a long sheet of proofed fabric folded to form its top, twosides and bottom and having its ends connected, end walls formed ofrectangular sheets of proofed fabric joined to the side, top and bottomportions of the folded sheet, the compartments so formed beingsuperposed and joined together; and the compartments being provided withseparate inflation valves.

4. Lifting means comprising an inflatable bag with substantially flattop and bottom walls and comprising compartments, each compartment beingbuilt up of a long sheet of proofed fabric folded to form its top, twosides and bottom and having its ends connected, end walls formed ofrectangular sheets of proofed fabric joined to E the side, top andbottom portions of the folded sheet, the compartments so formed beingsuperposed and joined together; and the compartments being provided withseparate inflation valves connected by a pipe with an air pump coupling.

GEORGE FREDERICK EYLES.

